I am arguing against the resolution.

I will begin by restating and adding on to my partners

points, but I will also begin to rebut some of my opponents’ points.
I will be talking about 3 main points
1. The dangers of not protecting our planet
2. The correlation between higher standards of living and an increases burden on the
environment.
3. How fixing the environment can lead to less poverty and hunger on a global scale.

We only have one planet. The earth is it. Why then, do we ignore the signs that
our earth is in serious trouble?
• The 5 hottest years ever recorded have all been within the last seven years,
showing a troubling increase in global temperature.(earthnews.org)
• If the world’s average temperature rises by even 2° C (which is possible by
2050) then most of the ice from Greenland, West Antarctica, and East
Antarctica will melt. This will cause at least a 20 meter rise in sea level.
(global greenhouse warming.com and science daily)
• If the sea level rises 20 meters, then in 50 years, areas such as Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, the Maldives, Louisiana, parts of Florida, and all of New Zealand will
be under water (BBC news)
• If global climate change prevails at the rate it is doing now, then between 50
and 700 million more people would be faced with massive coastal flooding
each year. Also, there would be 30-50% less water available in Southern
Africa and the Mediterranean, agricultural yields would decline 15 to 35% in
Africa, making sure that the children who face poverty and hunger now would
certain starve. (UK guardian’s climate journal)
• 20 to 50% of animal and plant species would face extinction, humans beings
included (UK guardian’s climate journal)
• In 2050, the year by which the world’s temperature is predicted to have risen
2°C, the population of the world is predicted to be far over 9 billion.
Also, when poverty stricken countries start to improve their standard of
living, they often do it in an un-supportable way.
• As populations boom due to increased standards of living, the burden on
agriculture also grows. Many farmers have to turn to industrialized
farming to produce the enormous amount of food needed. Industrialized
farming may work at first, but in the end leaves the ground barley able to
grow anything for at least 2 years.
Finally, there are ways to support the environment that can lead people
out of poverty, and into more sustainable life styles.
• If people in impoverished countries took up sustainable farming, then
they could grow their own food, and sell to others at a profitable rate.
• Organic veggies have higher levels of antioxidants, which help fight
cancer. They also have more vitamins and are generally more filling.
(sustainable farming.org)
Refute 1
• Scientists on the national board of climate change agree that there
is a 95% chance that human activity has speeded up, if not caused
global climate change
• It has been said we have about 10 years to put into effect the
measures needed to curb CO2 emissions quickly enough to
avert a dangerous rise in global temperature. Otherwise, the extra
heat could trigger a more rapid melting of polar ice sheets, made
far worse by the "albedo flip" - when the sunlight reflected by
white ice is suddenly absorbed as ice melts to become the dark
surface of open water (board of US top scientists)
• Scientists dispute the fact that global melting is not happening.
"The IPCC analyses and projections do not well account for the
nonlinear physics of wet ice sheet disintegration, ice streams and
eroding ice shelves, nor are they consistent with the palaeoclimate
evidence we have presented for the absence of discernible lag
between ice sheet forcing and sea-level rise,
• "IPCC concludes, “the range of published evidence indicates that
the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant
and to increase over time.”
Questions
• Where do you plan to get the resources to end poverty?
• Will these resources still be available in 2050?
• If you get people out of poverty now, who’s to say they will
not return to poverty in a year?
• While poverty involves the using of resources, environmental
protection is about cutting back. Can you really save money by
ending poverty?

Conclusion Statement
Global Climate change is a huge problem that will affect the world
within our children lifetimes. By not prioritizing it, we will affectively
be betting our children’s lives that a solution to this problem can be
found in 50 years. Already the damage cuased by global warming is
affecting earth. Add facts that we got here. And the most alarming
fact? That the rate that our world’s climate is changing increasing
rapidly ( German Bureau of Climate Scientists) . I ask you to think on
this. What will be the state of the world that we leave to future
generations of humanity?